Miriam Kresh
Makes 5-6 cups
Ingredients:
4 cups fresh summer stone fruit: I had cherries, apricots, plums, and peaches.
2 cups water
For a dessert: 1 cup sugar and a cinnamon stick
For a first course: 1/2 cup sugar and a strip of orange peel
1 1/2 tsp. corn starch – or use up some of that leftover Passover potato starch
Method:
1. Pit the apricots and peaches. Check the cherries first for bumps and dimples that may indicate worms, and discard any suspicious-looking fruit. If you’re still concerned about worms, pit them by all means. The plums are difficult to pit and a lot of their juice gets lost in the messy process, so leave them alone.
Note: When measuring, try to cram in as much fruit as you into the corners of the measuring cup without squashing it.
2. Put the water in a pan. Add the fruit and orange peel/cinnamon stick; simmer for 10 minutes.
3. Add the sugar and stir gently with a wooden spoon. Simmer another 5 minutes. Turn off the flame and cover the pan.
4. Ladle some of the liquid into a cup and allow it cool. When it’s just only warm, mix the corn starch into it. Mix very well and add it to the pan. Stir gently again.
5. When the soup is cool, refrigerate it. Serve cold, plain for a meat meal or topped with plain whipped cream for a dairy dessert. It’s delicious plain, actually, and of course if omitting the cream, it’s also fat-free.
Another note: Don’t use apples or melons in fruit soup as those will go mushy right away and make your soup look like applesauce. If you have to, though, add them just after the sugar and steam them lightly on top of everything else.
Miriam Kresh grew up in the US, and lived in Brazil and Venezuela before moving to Israel 33 years ago. Her cuisine has been influenced by the flavors of Latin America, the midwestern US, French and Italian cooking, and the flavors of the Middle East. She shares her passion for cooking through her blog Israeli Kitchen: http://www.israelikitchen.com/about-israeli-kitchen-blog/#sthash.72S0Afpo.dpuf
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